Igniting conversations with community engagement: establishing citizen science projects in South Africa

Mr Joseph Hulbert

Joey Hulbert is PhD Candidate in the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute at University of Pretoria and an Affiliate Research Student in the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch University. Joey initiated Cape Citizen Science with support from the NRF-DST Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology and generated public support with two crowdfunding campaigns.

Citizen science is an approach to achieve research and educational outcomes simultaneously. This science talk will introduce the concept of citizen science by exploring some of the projects in South Africa and sharing the discoveries, impacts and stories of Cape Citizen Science (http://citsci.co.za). It will highlight some of the benefits and challenges of citizen science and propose a process of establishing citizen science projects.